THURSDAY, 4 APRIL, 2024
KUCHING: The Sarawak Road Safety Campaign 2024 in conjunction with the celebrations of the year 2024 was launched at PETROS Darul Hana Station on Wednesday.
Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the purpose of the programme was to raise awareness of road safety and reduce the accident rate and fatalities due to careless driving, especially during festive seasons.
The target groups for this programme are vehicle drivers, motorcyclists and food delivery riders.
"In line with this, to achieve these goals, the Sarawak Road Safety Council (MKJRS) and the Sarawak Ministry of Transport (MOTS) are taking the initiative to foster awareness among road users regarding the importance of prioritising safety while on the road through this programme," he said.
He said that a total of 5,278 accidents have been recorded across Sarawak from January to March 2024.
Four categories have been recorded with damage-only accidents registering the highest at 5,092 cases, followed by fatal accidents at 75 cases, minor accidents at 74 cases and severe accidents at 37 cases.
Therefore, he advised car drivers and motorcyclists to be cautious, especially during the Aidilfitri celebration, by taking precautionary measures before and while on the road.
"As every year, we remind road users, especially during this festive season, to always be careful on the roads.
"While those returning to their hometowns are advised to check their vehicles to see if they are in the best condition.
"When driving, make sure you have had sufficient sleep and take breaks every two or three hours if driving long distances or have a substitute driver as fatigue is one of the factors contributing to accidents on the road," he said.
Dato Sri Lee added that he hopes such campaign will instil a safety culture among road users rather than relying solely on road enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, his ministry will conduct research on accident-prone areas for weather, road and geographical factors, which accounted for 5 per cent of the total 21,419 accidents last year.
"My ministry will meet with the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) for this matter, especially discussing road factors.
"The research will involve all roads, including the Pan Borneo Highway, to see firsthand the causes of accidents from the road infrastructure itself," he explained.
Also present were Sarawak Deputy Minister of Transport Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, Kuching Resident Norleha Shariff, Sarawak Ministry of Transport's Permanent Secretary Selamat Jati Yanjah, SEDC Energy Chief Executive Officer Datu Abdul Hadi Datuk Kadir and Sarawak Road Transport Department Director Norizan Jili. -UKASnews
